DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS PROJECT SUMMARY: In the last 5-year cycle, the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center (DLDCCC) leveraged CCSG Development Funds ($300K) with more than $1.1M in Director's Discretionary Funds to fund 28 Pilot Projects from 2015 to 2019. The Executive Committee (EC) targeted the RFAs for these awards to meet DLDCCC strategic plan goals, including promoting high priority areas of research, fostering inter-programmatic collaborations, and addressing the cancer burden of our Catchment Area. The 28 projects garnered a 9.5 fold return on investment based on new grant support arising from the scientific pilot projects. The EC also used institutional funds to develop a new PDX shared resource. In addition, with the discontinuation of the Early Phase Clinical Research mechanism during this past funding period, the Center requested that those funds ($100k) be repurposed to provide protected time for young clinical investigators to develop their research programs. Early metrics from this strategy are promising with the first recipient, Brandon Smaglo, opening two investigator- initiated trials that have accrued 30 patients. The current recipient, Daniel Wang from the Mechanisms in Cancer Evolution Program, is developing studies to validate a microbiome signature in recipients of checkpoint inhibitors and genetically modified T cells. He also created the Immunotherapy Toxicity Working Group. In the next 5 years, the DLDCCC is requesting an increase in the Developmental Funds budget to $450K/year. Developmental Funds in this renewal are being requested for two purposes: 1) $250k/year to enhance an effective and successful Pilot Project program, and 2) $200K/year to expand support of junior clinical investigators ? which has been identified both nationally and in the DLDCCC strategic plan as an important priority for NCI cancer centers.